Tray structure for telescoping carts



Jan. 27, 1959 F. w. YOUNG TRAY STRUCTURE FOR TELESCOPING CARTS Filed March 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l m M m 9 E H V U m o v, m? 1% w WWW WWN P QM m F k m M EN m N Now 0 O flu w w I! i ATTORNEY Jan. 27, 1959 F. w. YOUNG TRAY STRUCTURE FOR TELESCOPING CARTS Filed March 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Fred W You/7g W ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,871,024 Patented Jan. '27, 1 959 TRAY STRUCTURE FOR TELESCOPING CARTS Fred W, Young, Oklahoma City, -kla., assignor to Sylvan N. Goldman, OklahomaCity, Okla.

Application March 29, 1957, Serial N 0. 649,517 Claims. .(Cl. 280-5339) associated carts of similar construction.

More specifically the invention provides a second or lower forwardly converging telescoping receptacle or tray having a hinged gate, this lower receptacle being provided with a pivoted or swiveled mounting permitting .the same to be tilted from a point generally medially of its length, either forwardly or rearwardly to facilitate the loading and unloading of groceries and also to facilitate the telescoping operation with an associated receptacle,

Another object of the invention is to provide the mounting for the lower telescoping tray with a support- .ing structure so that it will not be deformed under extreme load conditions or by mishandling, for instance such as misuse of the assembly by children.

These and further objects of the invention will more clearly hereinafter appear by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the instant specification and wherein like-characters of reference desig- :nate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 'in 'which: i

'Fig. l is a side elevation illustrating movement of the device during telescopic association with a similarly constructed part;

Fig. I2 is a .perspective .view showing the entire assembly;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig; 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section showing a modified form of mounting; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a form of detachable connection between the tray and the post.

Referring to Fig. 2, a conventional telescoping cart assembly is illustrated and embodies a forwardly converging lower frame 1 mounted on rear wheels 2 and swiveled front wheels 3. This lower frame supports suitable uprights at each side, as for instance, uprights 6 and 7, at the upper ends of which are fixed brackets 8 for connection with a telescoping basket assembly generally indicated at A. The upper telescoping basket embodies forwardly converging side walls 9 and 10, forward end wall 11, bottom 12 and rear hinged gate 14, this rear hinged gate being generally provided with leg openings to facilitate the seating of a child on a folding seat 15, partially supported by the hinged panel 16.

Referring now to Fig. 1, a lower tray or receptacle is shown mounted immediately above the base frame 1 and pivotally or hingedly supported on the spaced vertical upright frame member 6. This lower tray or receptacle is generally used for carrying bulky or heavy articles and for this reason, among others, it is desirable to mount the same so that it can be tilted on its pivotal point either forwardly or rearwardly to permit a customer to readily grasp and remove such large bulky or heavy articles which may have been placed thereon.

The lower tray or receptacle includes forwardly converging side walls 20, bottom .21, forward end wall 22 and rear hinged gate 23, the latter being pivoted on cross bar 24 carried by the rearwardly bent portion 25 of the wicket 26 fixed to the sides and bottoms of the assembly by welding. The side walls 20* of the tray are defined by the arms of inverted U-shaped wickets, these wickets being reduced in size forwardly to provide the converging structure. The U-shaped wickets are connected at their top marginal edge by the relatively heavy U-shaped frame member '25 and a similar U-shaped relatively heavy frame member 26 is arranged about the lower part of the sides and front wall, and both of these U-shaped parts Z5 and 26 are welded at points of intersection with the wickets 20. The bottom is formed by a plurality of spacedforwardly extending wires 27, the spacing being designed to retain any commodities placed therein from discharge from the tray. These forwardly extending spaced wires 27 are welded to the base of inverted U-shapedframe members 20 at points of intersection and form slides or runners during telescoping of one tray within another as will be more fully hereinafter described.

A hanger forming a pivot for the basket includes an elongated transversely extending relatively heavy rod member30 having upwardly extending end portions 31 having outwardly extending terminals 32which project into the upright braces o for mounting, it being understood that'tbe ends 32 may be fastened into place at their terminals rigidly, or the ends maybe located in the slots permitting a rocking of the main bar structure to .lend freedom of movement ,to the assembly.

'It will beobvious from .thefforegoing that the baskets are so shaped as to ,permit -.telescoping operation, the hingedgate 23 being mounted on a cross wire 24 and being limitedin its ,outwardmovement by a transverse rod 33 weldedto the outer extremities. of thebase wires 27. When a telescoping cart is associated with a similarly constructed cartiin telescoping relationship, the forward relatively small end of the lower tray will, regardless of its positionon its ,pivot,,i. .e. whether in. rearwardly inclined or forwardly inclined position, engage within the swinging area of the rear gate structure 23 and cause the same to swing upwardly on its supporting rod 24, permitting the trays to nest. During the nesting operation, the forwardly inclined wires or rod 27 which form the base of the tray will serve as runners to facilitate the relative movement between the telescoping parts.

When telescoping carts embodying the present trays or receptacles, these hinged trays will normally be in position A due to the fact that the greater part of the weight is at the rear of the pivotal point formed by the supporting rod 30. The rear of the tray when in this position will rest upon and he supported by the rear portion of the frame 1, as will be clear from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2. In this position the forward end of the receptacle or tray is at a height immediately below the hinge rod 24 supporting the hinge gate 23 of an adjacent associated tray B and in this position will strike and swing the hinge gate 23 on its pivot towards an open position. Simultaneously this action will result in depressing the forward end of the receptacle or tray which will generally facilitate the telescoping operation illustrated at the left hand side of Fig. l. Regardless of the position of the lower receptacle or tray, it will in each instance tend to equalize its relationship with the tray or receptacle with which it is to nest, moving on its pivot indicated in Fig. 1 at 30. This equalization of the relative positions of the trays or receptacles substantially reduces theforce required in a normal nesting operation, it being obvious that the parts readily adjust themselves not only during initial telescoping action but throughout the entire action both into and out of telescopic association.

It will be noted that this lower tray or receptacle is also so associated with the relatively heavy underframe 1 that when a weight is placed in the tray at either end portion, it will assume a position of rest on the frame 1, thereby providing a rigid support for carrying the load. It has been found in practice that there is a tendency for children to use the lower tray during climbing and playing and the Weight of a child standing on the receptacle or tray is readily accommodated by the heavy underframc upon which the tray quickly rests by shifting movement on its pivot in accordance with the distribution of the weight imposted thereon. By loosely mounting the tray on its support, the tray may have a certain freedom permitting a generally swivel support whereby total freedom of the trays during telescopic movement is available.

In Fig. 4 the tray is shown provided with a fixed stud 35 having a plate 36 welded in position to the side of the tray, the stud 35 projecting into a transverse recess 37 formed in the supporting upright. It will be understood that there will be a pair of studs, one at each side of the tray, and that the studs can be inserted in position by flexing the side Walls of the tray and permitting seatin position. This mounting obviously will permit a swivel movement of the tray during telescoping with an associated part.

Another advantage of the present invention is the fact that the lower tray or receptacle can be removed or detached, permitting the main cart assembly with the open underframe to be used as may be desired in some instances. Likewise the mountings are such that where previous structures have not been provided with the bottom tray or receptacle, these can readily be attached without the use of special equipment or trained personnel.

What I claim is:

1. In a telescoping cart assembly, a combination of a base frame, wheels supporting said frame, a vertical supporting structure extending above the .base frame, a receptacle mounted on thevvertical supports including a forwardly converging body having a hinged gate to permit telescoping association with a cart of similar construction, and a tray including converging side walls and a pivoted end gate for telescopic association with a tray of similar construction, said tray being located below said receptacle and being swingably mounted on the upright frame generally medially of its length and above said base frame, whereby the tilting of the tray on its mounting will permit the alternate ends to be lowered into engagement with the base frame forsupport thereby.

2.-The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the mounting for the tray includes a horizontal pivot permitting the rocking of the tray thereon.

3. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the mounting for the tray on the upright frame is in the form of a bar extending between the vertical supports, the bottom of the tray resting on the bar and being movable forwardly and rearwardly thereon.

4. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the tray includes a bottom structure having longitudinally extending runners to permit the sliding movement between similarly constructed parts during telescoping association.

5. In a telescoping cart assembly, a combination of a base frame, wheels supporting said frame, a vertical supporting structure extending above the base frame, a receptacle mounted on the vertical supports including a forwardly converging body having a hinged gate to permit telescoping association with a cart of similar construction, and a tray including converging side Walls and a pivoted end gate for telescoping association with a tray of similar construction, said tray being located below References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Watson Aug. 16, 1949 2,479,530 2,583,513 Maslow Jan. 22, 1952 2,644,695 Enders July 7, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 384,640 Germany Nov. 24, 1923 

